Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Larsen.
Hi Nathan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
The original idea of the Cocoa Camper was born in 2017 by Wyatt Peterson. In 2019, he converted a 1985 camper trailer into the food trailer it is today. It officially opened in the fall of 2020. In May of 2021, Wyatt had a new job offer in a different state and I seized the opportunity to take the business over.
Wyatt had done a lot of the hard work of naming the business, building the food truck, and building a small community of followers. I saw the potential this business had. I have always been a foodie, I come from a family who loves to cook all sorts of things. Every Christmas my grandma and now my mom make 100s of hand-dipped chocolates to send out to friends and families.
From the first day, I saw the food truck for sale, I had purchased it 3 days later. I had never had the product but loved the vibes it had. I wanted to have a business that provided a yummy product to people here in the area. I always wanted to give employment opportunities to individuals. In the winter months, we have hot cocoa (Yummy and creamy at the perfect temperature not to burn your mouth), Churros, and Cronuts (Croissant dough fried like a donut).
In the summer months, we have frozen cocoa, churros, and cronuts. Hoping within 1-2 years or so to have a physical location that will then have a bakery alongside it. Or an ice cream shop. One new item I will explore soon is hot cocoa with ice cream in it (like a root beer float, but with hot cocoa!)
We love to be a part of community events and give back to the community. Once a month we do a “giving night” where 100% of our profits from that night go to a local non-profit or someone in need. For Christmas, we were able to sponsor a family and get them presents. In a few weeks, we will be donating profits to the Make A Wish Foundation for a little boy trying to get his wish granted!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We have had our ups and downs. Catering and weddings are what have made us most successful. The location has been hard because there is a lot of traffic on the main street which can make it hard for people to get in and out of our spot.
Also, since the camper is small, it is hard to see sometimes. Aside from building our brand, winter has been hard on the camper. People don’t want to come out and be in the cold. Where we currently are set up, we don’t have a spot of a tent with heat, so it makes it harder for people to want to come and hang out. In the summer and fall, we had a lot of people hang out and roast s’mores over the little fires we have.
Recently, a Dutch Bros coffee shop built a new location one building over from us. This did have a negative effect on the traffic and it caught a lot of people’s attention over our small trailer. We are currently trying a new location. Overall, the community and following I have has been so supportive and here for the entire journey.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Peterson Funding?
After 3 years of selling fruit at roadside stands in Colorado, I got my mortgage license. After 2 years of doing administrative-type stuff and closing a few loans, I started doing more management and HR work. In January 2021 I took over as the CEO of the company and handle all operations for the company.
I still enjoy helping our clients buy or refinance their homes but really enjoy and thrive in building up the other loan officers and team members, I love building a culture where everyone feels appreciated and give back to others. We strive to be the local neighborhood mortgage company making the process for borrowers easy and quick while giving them the best rate possible,
Since I was a teenager I knew I wanted to go into business. I enjoyed working with people and providing something valuable to the community. This is the reason I got the cocoa camper. My dream one day is to have multiple locations. I would also like to have a nonprofit.
I am also the social media manager for my cousin’s business in Colorado. She runs a bakery/dinner service Monday – Friday with a local market where she sells soups, bread, and other treats.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My recommendation for finding a mentor is to ask for one. There are a lot of successful people that surround us. You may not even have to ask for a formal mentor but rather ask someone questions about what makes them who they are.
Over time they may become more of a mentor rather than someone you have been asking questions to. Locally there is a page called Connect Utah which is made up of business owners, mentors, and professionals who are always bouncing ideas off of each other. I have seen many posts of people asking for a mentor or someone in their field to ask a few questions. It is a community for business owners and entrepreneurs to learn and work together.
For me, I ask my community and other business owners what works for them in their business. Or if I want to try something new, I will ask it and gather their feedback. If you don’t ask questions and put yourself out there, you won’t find people to network with and grow to your full potential. Ask questions and meet as many people as you can to grow your network.
Contact Info:
- Email: thecocoacamper@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.insagram.com/thecocoacamper
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecocoacamper
